Garment



June 22, 1943..

F. JONES GARMENT Fried nay 9, 1941. 2 sheets-sheet 1 lnvfnfor; Fank Jones mezz, 1943.

F. JONES 2,322,451 GARMENT -1 I Filed May 9, 1941 72v Sheets-Sheet 2 'Patented June 22, 1943 GARMENT Frank Jones, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application May 9, 1941, Serial No. 392,617 In Canada September 21, 194i)` 1 Claim.

The principal feature of the invention resides in the incorporation of an elastic strain-relieving strip in direct co-operative association with the main back portions of the garment and in such a manner that the elastic insert will be covered and protected by a loosely overlying portion which greatly enhances the appearance of the garment.

In the drawings Figure l is a back view of a sport type jacket illustrating the present invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l showing the loosely overlying portion of the garment turned outwardly to expose the inserted elastic strip.

Figure 3 is a rtransverse section through the body portion of the garment.

Figure 4 is a back view representive of a dress, uniform or the like, incorporating the present invention.

In the manufacture of jackets, coats, dresses, doctors and nurses uniforms and the like, it is extremely desirable to provide for lateral stretchability, particularly in the back region, in order to provide for greater freedom of movement and at the same time relieving the garment of damaging stresses, while maintaining a garment of a neat snug-itting appearance.

It has been previously proposed to provide a resilient insert in connection with inner linings of garments in order to compensate for shrinkage or non-stretchability in the lining material, but the resiliency of the garment as a whole was limited to the inherent resiliency of the outer body material of the garment and the present invention has been devised to enable a more resilient construction of the main back portion of a garment irrespective of the lack of stretchability in the garment fabric or of Whether the garment is lined or not, and by way of example the invention has been illustrated in Figures l to 3 in connection with the construction of a sport jacket, while in Figure 4 the invention is illustrated in connection with a dress, uniform or the like, but it must be understood that it is not limited in this regard as it is equally applicable to jackets or coats of various types, including those worn by nurses, doctors or service station attendants, all of which may be said to comprise garments within the meaning -oi thecla'ims herewith.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figures l to 3 the jacket is provided with back panel portions i and 2 spaced apart'centrally of the back and seamed at their bottom edges to la waistband portion 3. The panels i and 2 may be provided with longitudinal pleats 4 and 5 extending upwardly from the waistline seam 6 with progressively diminishing depth and a tab portion l is secured to the waistband 3 by the seam stitching 6 and is seamed at 8 and 9 along its vertical edges t0 the spaced edge portions I0 and Il of the back panel portions I and 2.

A strip I2 of woven elastic fabric or the like is inserted between the spaced edges l0 and Il and stitched along the longitudinal edges thereof, and the lower extremity is stitched transversely to the upper edge 0I" the tab portion 1, while the upper extremity is stitched to the collar portion of the garment, preferably by incorporation in the collar seam.

The presence of the tab portion l will act as a reinforcing agent but if desired this may be eliminated and the lower extremity of the elastic insert anchored directly in the waistband stitching E.

The garment is preferably provided with an outer panel I3 which is incorporated at the upper end in the shoulder and neckband seams and extends downwardly to snugly overlie the elastic insert strip I2, the lower end thereof being preferably secured -to the waistband while the longitudinal edges are free.

In the further exemplication of the invention in Figure 4 the dress or other garment is shown formed with inner back portions I0 and Il spaced apart in the central region from the waist seam E to the neck region, the transversely resilient strip I2' corresponding to the strip l2 of Figures 1 to 3, having its longitudinal edges stitched at 8' and 9' to the substantially parallelly spaced longitudinal edge portions l0 and l l' of the back panels I and 2.

The lower extremity of the elastic strip l2 is Yadvantageously anchored by the waist stitching 6 connecting the lower portions of the backpanels sections l' and 2 to the skirt or lower portion 3 of the garment.

An outer central panel I3' is preferably provided, here shown secured at the bottom in the waist seam or stitching 6 and extending upwardly in broad overlapping relation to the back panel portions I and 2 and being free of stitched connection therewith for their major length, the upper end of the outer portion I3 being terminated in the neck region and it may advantageously diverge upwardly for incorporation in the shoulder seams I4 either for a portion or the full length of such seams, as may be desired in the styling of the garment.

The elastic strip I2 or I2' is preferably formed of Lastex having little or no longitudinal resiliency but having pronounced lateral resiliency so that when transverse stretching strains are placed on the back portions of ,the garment the edge portions I0 and II or IB and II will be free to diverge away from their normal position since they are only resiliently connected by the intervening elastic strip I2 or I 2. The presence of the elastic strip, in,being connected in a bridging manner between the edge portions I0 and. II or I0' and I I' of the back panels I and 2 or I and 2', will return and hold the edge portions in their proper relation after the strain has been relieved and will prevent bulging.

The overlying portion I3 or I3 will forma covering for the elastic strip I2 or I2 so that the latter Will not be exposed to View and it will further serve as a protective covering for the elastic insert to protect the same against ex- 25 cessive Wear or exposure to destructive influences.

A garment having an elastic strip incorporated therein in lthe manner dened will present as neat a iitting appearance as a tight tting garment but will at the same time provide for remarkable freedom of action. It will moreover be comfortable to Wear and will be substantially free from destructive strains which normally greatly shortens the effective life of such garments.

What I claim as my invention is:

A garment having the back formed of sections secured throughout the full length of the shoulder seams and having their inward longitudinal edges parallelly spaced apart centrally of the garment and extending downwardly from the neckband to the waist, a covering medium forming an integral part of the garment being secured at the shoulder seams and neckband and loosely bridging the space between said spaced back sections, and a strip of elastic material having its longitudinal edges sewn to the spaced longitudinal edges of said back sections and having the ends secured to the neckband and to the waist, said elastic material being extensible solely in the transverse direction of the garment.

FRANK JONES. 

